The association between dopamine levels and electric brain signals called beta waves — thought to be of an opposite nature based on data from people with Parkinson’s disease — is more complex than previously thought, a study in non-human primates shows. The data, collected through a new chemo-electric platform,…
People with early-onset Parkinson’s disease caused by mutations in the PRKN or PINK1 genes have high levels of the pro-inflammatory immune signaling protein interleukin-6 and mitochondrial DNA in the blood, which may…
Buspirone can effectively ease anxiety among people with Parkinson’s disease, but the medication is not well tolerated, according to data from a recent Phase 2 trial. Patients using this anti-anxiety medication and able to tolerate it well should continue its use, but a large-scale study is not advised, its…
Pharmather has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with the University of Arizona, allowing the company to further develop ketamine as a potential treatment of dyskinesia — involuntary, jerky movements — associated with levodopa use in people with Parkinson’s disease. The company plans…
Anavex 2-73 (blarcamesine), a potential oral therapy to slow cognitive decline due to Alzheimer’s and other neurological disorders, was found to be safe and to lead to clinically meaningful, dose-dependent improvements in cognition in people with Parkinson’s disease dementia (PDD) treated in a Phase 2 trial. Anavex…
Rodent neurons (nerve cells) in cell cultures form complex interaction networks that seem designed to maximize information processing, but are distinct from many well-understood mathematical models, new research suggests. Understanding how these networks form and interact within the brain could have applications in understanding neurological diseases like Parkinson’s and…
Dopamine and serotonin — two brain chemicals involved in reward processing and whose pathways are treatment targets for diseases such as Parkinson’s — also play a key role in controlling the way people perceive the world and make decisions based on those perceptions, a study reported. According to its…
Certain types of anti-diabetic medications may lower the risk of Parkinson’s disease in people with type 2 diabetes, a population-based study suggests. In particular, the risk of Parkinson’s was found to be 36–60% lower in diabetic patients who were being treated with GLP-1 agonists or DPP4…
The interplay between different genetic and environmental factors, from a family history of disease to smoking habits, contributes to Parkinson’s risk and can help in designing tests that better allow for its early detection, a study suggests. The study, “Parkinson’s disease determinants, prediction and gene–environment interactions in the UK…
The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) is partnering with Acadia Pharmaceuticals to provide patients and caregivers with free educational materials focused on cognitive changes and other non-motor symptoms of the disease. Of the roughly six million people globally who live with Parkinson’s, some 40%…
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